Children's Opens Cardiac Progressive Care Unit
from The Children's Hospital (TCH) News, May 2006
On May 1, a vision finally became a reality: The Children’s Hospital opened a new Cardiac Progressive Care Unit (CPCU) as part of the Heart Institute.
Children’s Heart Institute leaders, in collaboration with 3 North’s Clinical Director Bridget Darden and staff, have planned the unit for years, said Christine Peyton, clinical nurse specialist in the Heart Institute. Previously, these patients were cared for by the 3 North staff, who provide expert care for approximately 22 services.
“Most major children’s hospitals with a Heart Institute have a dedicated floor for patients like this,” Peyton said.
The unit will serve patients who are well enough to be discharged from the Cardiac Intensive Care Unit (CICU), but are not well enough to go home yet, said Evonne Young, interim Clinical Director of the CICU. The unit also will serve other inpatients with cardiac conditions.
The CPCU will now have nine dedicated beds on 3 North in rooms 307 (two beds), 308 (five beds) and 309 (two beds). At the new hospital, the unit will have 10 dedicated beds on the eighth floor.
There are several reasons Children’s needed the unit, Young said. The first is to serve the growing population of cardiac patients. The unit also will provide a dedicated nursing staff. Like oncology, cardiac diseases are very complex. The nurses in the new CPCU will receive special training in cardiac diseases through the Heart Institute. “Congenital heart defects can be so complicated and difficult to manage,” Young said. “A strong knowledge of the physiology and repairs are vital to good patient outcomes. Some of these kids may look OK, but can get very sick quickly. Many of them are not completely fixed. Some patients don’t need a lot of oxygen, and it is critical that the nurses are able to anticipate the correct interventions for the repair.”
The goal of the unit, Peyton said, is to provide patients with an easy transition from the CICU to the floor as well as to provide care for other complex cardiac patients.
The nurses, physicians and support staff practice in collaboration to uphold the mission and vision of The Children’s Hospital Heart Institute, which enables patients and families to receive high-quality, seamless care throughout their entire hospitalization.
The unit has a new director, Janet Davis, who formerly managed cardiac services at Exempla Saint Joseph Hospital . The CPCU will have 12 dedicated nurses. Seven will transfer to the unit from within the hospital: Jen Mooney, Katie Taylor and Emily Salmon from 3 North; Ben Bernier, Rebecca Brunelle and Carisa Davis from 4 North; and Sarah Wilson from the Cath Lab. The other five nurses are new hires: June Weiss, Renee Bishop, Angie Husman, Kari Hopper and Molly Wallrich.
